Kentmere 400, latest samples

WJJ3 said:
Shot my first roll of Kentmere 400 and developed in 1:1 D-76, and got some uneven development in the sky. Anyone getting uneven development like this?

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IMG_0827
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To me it looks like it could be vignetting, by chance were you using a new hood? Were there any other shots on the roll that had the same effect?
 
skopar steve said:
After following this thread for a long time, I decided to give it a try. Contax RTSII with Zeiss 50mm 1.4. Developed in D76 1:1. Used an orange filter. Light was crappy but the film gave decent results. Think I'll use it for a while and see what I can get out of it.
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Looks great! It took me about half of a bulk roll to get a feel for it, but having used it for a while now, I feel like I can get consistent, predictable results that I'm happy with.
 
Thanks Dourbalistar. Since retiring I've looked for an economical b&w film that is a quality product. I've had ups and downs with ORWO and surveillance film with various labels. The kentmere look is promising, I just need to get some contrast out of it. I have a bunch of Slavich grade 2 paper bought on a group buy on Photrio. So I have a bunch of developers and agitation tacts to experiment with. Gives me purpose to get out and shoot.
 
Kentmere 400 is a low contrast film. Pushed to ISO 800 (XTOL 1+1 16 Min.) is better, but still low contrast if you take your pictures at a cloudy day. For bad weather with low contrast conditions I recommend using Double-X instead.

However, if you scan the negatives, the low contrast of Kentmere 400 may not be an issue. But I do wet printing with a Durst M605 with colour head and do not like the need for ultra hard gradation.

With medium to high contrast conditions, Kentmere 400 does a pretty good job for me.

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Rollei 35 T, Kentmere 400@800, Adox XT-3, 1+1, 16 Min.
Flatbed scan from silver gelatine print on Fotoimpex Easy Print RC
 
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skopar steve said:
Thanks Dourbalistar. Since retiring I've looked for an economical b&w film that is a quality product. I've had ups and downs with ORWO and surveillance film with various labels. The kentmere look is promising, I just need to get some contrast out of it. I have a bunch of Slavich grade 2 paper bought on a group buy on Photrio. So I have a bunch of developers and agitation tacts to experiment with. Gives me purpose to get out and shoot.
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Bulk rolled Kentmere 400 is about as economical as it gets. I get about 18 rolls from 100', so at current B&H prices, that's about $4 per 36-exposure roll. I use a hybrid workflow and sometimes add a little bit of contrast in the digital post-processing.

Nikon FM2n, AI Nikkor 50mm f/1.8S, Kentmere Pan 400, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5.5 minutes.


2024.03.30 Roll #352-08599-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr
 
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